My Overly Affectionate Son
My 6 year old son is very attached to me (being his mother). He tells me often that he loves me, he hugs me a lot, and when he's tired he wants to lie next to me until he falls asleep. I am grateful of course for this – al hamdu Lillah - but I'm worried that maybe he's too attached to me, and if I should try to put an end to this. He doesn't want to sleep in his own room and thus sleeps in my bed (my husband falls asleep in front of the TV and sleeps on the sofa all night). He [my son] says that there are monsters in his room, and I don't want to force him to sleep there. We haven't lived in this place for long, we moved here a couple of months ago, and in our former apartment, which was much smaller, he didn't even have a room of his own. He's always been a careful person, a bit shy, and was clingy as a baby as well. So I've always thought that the best I could do is to give him lots of love and attention to boost his self-confidence - but I don't want him to became a "nerd" because he might be bullied at school. Also, when I was a child I was very clingy to my father and I loved him so much. When he passed away due to cancer when I was only 17 I was devastated, and I don't want this to happen to my son. I was bullied at school too... I'm also scared that he might become feminine (he's always been very boyish though). I just want him to grow into a strong and confident person! Another thing that worries me is that I feel very lonely. I have no friends and the relationship with my family and in-laws is not good. I often feel depressed which makes it even harder for me to be sociable. I'm afraid that my son may sense that I'm sad, and that he tries to comfort me. I don't want that, I want to be a perfect Mum to him! My husband is very fond of him too of course, but it's always been me who takes on most of the responsibility. I guess what I want to know is if my son is a normal 6-year old or am I parenting him in a wrong way? Maybe I should give it a little time and see if he becomes more independent!?
